


Best Birthday

by Clare_Hope



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angus McDonald gets lots of hugs, Birthday Party, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-07 09:43:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21455983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clare_Hope/pseuds/Clare_Hope
Summary: Angus McDonald was turning thirteen today. Angus McDonald had not told anyone that it was his birthday...But that's not going to stop them from giving him the best birthday ever.
Relationships: Angus McDonald & Everyone
Comments: 30
Kudos: 149





	Best Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a prompt from @daughterofsarenrae on tumblr! <3

Angus McDonald was turning thirteen today. Angus McDonald had not told anyone that it was his birthday.

He didn't want to make a big deal out of it, really. Even though yes, thirteen was a  _ big _ number in Angus's very Jewish family, he also didn't...exactly  _ have _ a family anymore. He was only ever really close to his grandpa and a couple of cousins after his parents died, and he had decided not to get bar mitzvahed. If he was being honest, he didn't really think that celebrating this birthday was very important.

After going to class all morning, Angus returned to his dorm room with a long-suffering sigh. There was a new Caleb Cleveland novel out that he hadn't gotten a chance to read yet. He was getting a little too old for books like that, but he still loved them. He had been too embarrassed to read it yet, and it was still in the bag he had brought it home in.  _ What the heck, it's my birthday. I can read whatever I want _ , he thought to himself, and pulled the bag out of the drawer. He flopped down on his bed and opened the book.

About halfway through the novel, he was only mostly confident that he knew whodunnit. The nice thing about the Caleb Cleveland novels was that they sometimes had twists that even he couldn't anticipate. He was turning the page on a new chapter when the stone of farspeech on his bedside table started to buzz.

"Heeeeey, Ango!" It was Taako. 

Every few weeks while Angus was at school, Taako would call him out of the blue and tell him to come over. Angus loved those 'visits home' as he referred to them privately. He often stayed at the house where Taako, Lup, Kravitz, and Barry lived on breaks. Although those four were the only ones who officially lived there, Magnus, Merle and his kids, and Lucretia were there more often than not. He loved spending time with all of them.

But today, he didn't really want to talk to anyone. He had prepared himself for a quiet afternoon reading in his pajamas and going to bed early. That was going to be his gift to himself. He didn't like the idea of being around his family without telling them that it was his birthday. It would feel too much like lying.

"Hi, sir," Angus responded, picking up the stone.

"Hey, bubbelah. You should get your tushy over here for dinner tonight," Taako informed him.

"I…" Angus hesitated. "I don't know, I'm not feeling really well. Maybe not tonight."

"Are you sick?" Taako asked, a little worriedly.

"No, just not feeling great. I'm a little tired, just trying to read my book," replied Angus.

Taako paused for a long time. "Well, I'm gonna be honest, I'm a little disappointed. I've been cooking all day, and I made some of your favorites. I could tell Lulu she had to come pick you up so you don't have to get a train."

"Um." Angus didn't know how to answer. "O-okay," he decided. "Just give me ten minutes, I'm, um, in my pajamas."

Taako laughed. "No problem, Ango! You get your fancy-boy clothes on and I'll tell Lup to head over soon!" The stone went quiet.

Angus put his face in his book and let out a quiet scream into the pages. Now he had to spend the evening pretending that this was just like any other day. Maybe he could keep going with the 'I don't feel well' thing and get away early to go to bed. He got up and got dressed lethargically, deciding to take his book with him just in case.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at his door. Lup smiled at him when he opened the door and said, "Hey, kiddo, ready to head out?"

"Mr. Lucas doesn't like it when you use your reaper powers to get into the school, ma'am," Angus reminded her. "But yes, I'm ready to go."

She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and brought out her scythe to cut a hole through the planes. Angus closed his eyes and shivered as they stepped briefly through an in-between space that always gave him the chills, and then they were standing at the door of the large house. Lup gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze and opened the door.

Immediately, a small burst of colorful confetti showered down from the doorframe, covering Angus in small, shiny paper squares. "What--" he started.

"Surprise!" Magnus shouted from inside the house.

Angus stared. He tried to take in what he was seeing. Not only were Magnus, Taako, Kravitz, and Barry there, but Merle and Mookie and Mavis, and Lucretia, and Avi, and Carey and Killian. Even Davenport was there, who Angus hadn't seen in several months since he was last on shore. "What…?" he said again.

"Happy birthday, Angus!" said Mookie. The young dwarf boy bounded towards him and hugged him. His head only came up to about Angus's stomach. "I didn't getcha a present, but I could find ya a cool rock outside if ya want."

"Th-that's okay, Mookie," Angus said, too stunned to do much except pat the younger boy on top of his head. "What's happening?"

"It's your birthday, bubbelah," Taako said. "We're having a party, we figured you should join us."

Angus managed to untangle himself from Mookie and step further into the house. He could now see the banner that said  _ Happy Birthday, Ango! _ hanging up in the kitchen, above a very large, beautifully decorated chocolate cake with thirteen unlit candles set into it. "Did you make this?" he asked Taako.

"'Course, I won't have any store bought cakes in this household. What do you take me for?" Taako said indignantly.

"But...but how did you even know…?"

"You're not the only expert detecti--" began Taako.

Lucretia interrupted him. "It's in your file at Lucas's school," she explained. "He owed me a favor, so I asked him when your birthday was since you didn't tell me when you came to Bureau. Happy birthday, Angus."

Angus looked around at everyone. "This is…" he started slowly, "without a doubt, the nicest thing you've ever done for me." He frowned. "Am I about to die? Am I deathly sick with something you all know about but I don't so you're being nice to me?"

"Not dying," Barry promised him.

"We would know if you were," Kravitz added.

"That's a really freaky thing to say, babe," Taako said to him.

"Sorry. It's true, though, dying people have a weird sort of aura--"

"Another time, Krav," Lup said with a giggle. "Let's keep work talk away from the kid's party, okay?"

Angus's lower lip was trembling. He covered his mouth. "I d-didn't want you to make a big deal out of it," he said weakly. "I, um…"

"You're thirteen today! That  _ is  _ a big deal!" Lup insisted. "You're getting all grown up!"

He definitely didn't feel all grown up as he clutched his book to his chest and tried not to start crying. Everyone was looking at him like he was the most important person in the room. They all looked proud, and happy to be there. "I…"

"Aww, does somebody need a hug?" Taako teased.

Angus burst into tears.

"Holy shit, okay, you do need a hug," Taako amended, alarmed. "Who's on Angus-hugging duty?"

Lucretia was already pulling him into a tight embrace. "It's alright," she whispered to him. "We've got you."

"Why did you make the kid cry?" Merle demanded of Taako.

"I didn't mean to!" protested Taako.

Magnus joined the hug, wrapping both Angus and Lucretia in his arms. "Why are you crying, Angus?" he asked.

"I j-just…" He sobbed into Lucretia's sweater. "I don't know!"

One by one, the rest of the people in the room pressed up close to squish Angus gently in the middle of a large group hug. For a little while, that just made him cry harder. He  _ knew _ that all of these people loved him, of course, but he had never really thought that they would make such a big display out of showing it.

But eventually, his tears stopped. He raised his head and wiped his eyes. There was a bit of a damp spot on Lucretia's soft blue sweater. "Sorry," he mumbled to her.

She shook her head. "It's okay," she promised, and he believed her.

"I…" Angus looked around at everyone again. " _ Thank you _ ," he said. He hoped that they all understood how much he meant it.

"You're totally welcome, bubbelah, now can we eat this cake I spent the entire day baking?" Taako said.

Angus laughed wetly and wiped his eyes again before nodding. "Yes, please!"

Lup lit the candles with a flame on the tip of her finger. When Angus blew them out, he closed his eyes and made a wish.  _ I wish that they'll let me be a part of their family forever. _

The cake was delicious. So was the actual dinner that followed. "Life is way too short not to eat dessert first," Taako proclaimed, and Angus wholeheartedly agreed.

Everyone gave him some small present: plenty of books, a set of carved wooden duck bookends (guess who?), and small magical trinkets like a ring that changed color depending on the weather, or a stirring spoon that instantly balanced the seasoning perfectly in whatever it was stirring. Mookie did run outside and find a neat rock on the ground for him. Angus slipped it into his pocket and promised to treasure it forever.

He had been sitting on the couch in the living room and listening to the lively conversation for a while now, sandwiched between Magnus and Lucretia, when he suddenly yawned. "Oh. I think...I think I should go to bed," Angus said reluctantly. "I did want to finish my book tonight."  _ As amazing as this has been, I think I need some quiet time. _ "Should I go back to the dorm, or…"

"Stay here for the night," Taako said.

"We told Lucas we were keeping you tonight, anyway," Lucretia added.

"Your room is all ready," continued Taako. "And you left some pajamas last time you were here, they're folded up on the bed."

"Okay! Goodnight, everyone!" He got a hug from everybody in the room before slipping off down the hallway towards the little guest bedroom he always stayed in while he was here. Sure enough, the pajamas he had left were on the bed, and he put them on. He turned off all the lights except the little lamp on the bedside table and slid under the covers.

He finished the book (he had been right!) and could barely keep his eyes open. He started to reach for the lamp and fumbled around for a minute before giving up and just rolling over to go to sleep.

Angus was nearly asleep when the door creaked open slowly. He laid still.

"I think he's asleep," Lup whispered. The lamp flicked off.

"I'm just gonna leave the cookie here, then," Taako said. There was the clink of a small plate being set down on the bedside table. "Sleep well, little man."

Sleepily, Angus turned his head and blinked his eyes open. "G'nigh', sir," he mumbled. "Thank you for everything today."

Taako ruffled his hair gently. “You’re welcome, bubbelah. See ya in the morning.”

Angus sat up and hugged him. "It was a really good birthday," he insisted. "The  _ best _ birthday."

"Aww. Now that's just sad, Ango, it wasn't even that big. We'll have to go all-out next year to top it, how 'bout that?" Taako sat down on the edge of the bed, letting Angus hug him for a minute before extracting himself and making him lay back down. "Now go to sleep, it's definitely past your bedtime."

"I'm thirteen, sir, I don't have a bedtime," Angus said with a giggle. "But I am going to go to sleep. Goodnight!" He closed his eyes again.

Taako lingered for a second, his hand brushing over Angus's hair before he left. The door closed, and Angus could hear the twins talking quietly in the hallway.

"You're so soft for the kid," Lup said. "It's sweet."

"This is slander, I'm not soft for anyone," said Taako unconvincingly.

"You are physically incapable of lying to me, Koko."

Taako scoffed as they started walking away, and Angus couldn't hear any more of their conversation. The nice thing was, he didn't even need to overhear a conversation to prove that these people loved him. Even if he hadn't already known it, their actions today would have left no doubt. There was a warm feeling in Angus's chest as he fell asleep, happy and content, to dream about flickering birthday candles and homemade chocolate cake.


End file.
